Escaping
by Severus my hero
Summary: Sometimes, we make assumptions about the lives of others around us, and reevaluate our own, never realising that perhaps their life sucks even more...


**Escaping**

She was standing in a momentary breeze of pure air, as a woman in long blonde hair walked passed her. The woman's pace was so startlingly brisk that Molly Weasley was certain she was running away from something. She shifted her gaze so as to follow the direction from which the woman's presence had shot out, and to her astonishment she found a door closing shut, but not before she had caught sight of a semi-naked man behind its extravagant carvings.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Molly disapproved. "What has the world come to? It seems the word fidelity has been struck out of all the world's dictionaries." Molly stared at the street winding down to her left. She had just seen Narcissa Malfoy enter and leave it, with as much grace as ever a cheating, lying woman such as her could muster in her slender frame.

* * *

"Cissa?"

A strong deep voice called from up the stairway, but she ignored it. Never had she been this enraged or anguished at the same time.

"Cissa?"

The voice persisted. She ignored it. There were things more pressing in her life than her husband's 'needs', at the moment.

"Cissa?!!"

This time she heard him dangerously close behind her, and she stiffened in protective alarm. She had not heard him come downstairs.

"Yes, dear?" She addressed him with innocent, imploring eyes and an overly honey-toned voice.

"I was calling you. Did you not hear me?" He asked her in the same tone she had used, but his contained an underlying malicious warning.

"No, Dobby was making an absolute racket. I could not hear myself think much less anything else." They both knew she was lying, but Lucius smiled an ugly, malevolent smile, while calling his house-elf.

"Yes, m-m-m-master?" The house-elf stuttered.

"Twenty strikes with a hammer for those disgusting hands of yours! My _loving_ wife could not hear me over the distasteful noise, you had insolently been creating." Dobby audibly whimpered and left the room to find himself a hammer. All the while, Lucius did not turn his eyes away from Narcissa's.

"Now, Cissa," he cupped her pale face in his hands and said. "Did you travel to London, as I so humbly requested of you?" His eyes twinkled with malice and Narcissa's heart sank.

"Yes, I did," she whispered.

"Good," he nodded his head in approval. "And how was Ophiuchus's response?"

"It was positive as always," Narcissa replied in a small voice. A fake smile was plastered on her beautiful face, as she stared emptily at the man she was ashamed to call her husband.

Lucius smiled and kissed Narcissa lightly on her forehead. He had always known that he had chosen well. She was definitely a most valuable asset, when it came to convincing men he did not like into doing exactly as he wished. Ophiuchus Thor, the Head of Law Enforcement, had been causing much trouble for him for the past six months. However, two hours with his wife had done what twenty thousand galleons had not been able to do. Ophiuchus had agreed to lay off all the cases against Lucius. What was more, was that he had also been 'persuaded' by Narcissa into 'forcing' the auror department into leaving him alone.

Lucius took away the knitting needles from Narcissa's long fingers and placed it on the centre-table. He roughly shoved her shawl aside and lay her down on the soft cushions of the sofa she had been occupying. He seemed to be looming over her, as she closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face, as she felt Lucius's weight on top of her. What had she ever done to deserve such a life...

* * *

Molly Weasley came home that day, after her rather strange visit to London. Disturbing images filled her mind, as she thought of the beautiful witch in her pure white impurity. Molly Weasley had never been jealous of another woman in her entire life, thanks to her wonderful husband. She had a good life, even though her little family found it hard to make ends meet sometimes. She had a nice house, two beautiful children, with a third on the way. And of course, she had Arthur, her supportive, loving and a most respectful husband.

However, today she felt jealous of the woman she had seen coming out of a man's house who was not her husband, with such obvious air of infidelity. Molly could not understand what it was that made her jealous, but whatever it was, it was harsh and piercing. Narcissa Black had been her junior in school: a most well-behaved _bitch_ in her years at Hogwarts. She had always gotten exactly what she wanted and looking at her now, Molly realised, nothing had changed.

"I don't understand," she muttered to herself as she stroked her eldest son's flaming red hair. "All I ever wanted from life was Arthur, and the Fates so mercifully granted me his companionship, then why am I wondering, what it would be like to have a life like hers?"

Molly's eyes glazed in bewildered disgust, as she looked at her hand on her son's head. He was sleeping adorably with his head on her lap and his hand dangling from the edge of the couch. Her eyes filled with tears. She should be ashamed of herself; she had everything in the world. Why was she feeling like this? Why did she want to have the courage to escape from this cottage, this life, this misery? Was that what Narcissa Malfoy was doing in that man's house? Looking for an escape, just like Molly never knew she desired?

Molly looked down at her sleeping boy once more and smacked herself mentally. This was not what she needed to escape from; this was what she had escaped to. In these dark times, every moment spent with family was a blessing. She sighed in contentment even though her heart was anything but satisfied...


End file.
